Sports swing training apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A training apparatus with a main body, a first member securable to the main body, the position of which is adjustable relative to the main body, a brace connected to the first member that has a substantially planar top surface inclined at an angle relative to the surface when the apparatus is being used, and a means of securing and unsecuring the first member from the main body so that the position of the brace may be adjusted. The apparatus substantially improves batting skills and pitching and throwing skills with emphasis on control of lower body movement. The apparatus builds on muscle memory by requiring the user to properly distribute his/her weight to the rear leg and foot while in a batting stance or a pitching position and forcing the user into the correct hitting position and the proper throwing or pitching motion.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This nonprovisional application relates to the content of, and claimspriority to, U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/758,970, filed Jan. 13,2006, which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a training apparatus for sports swings,and, more particularly, to a training device designed to assist withimproving one's batting skills and pitching and throwing skills, therebyreducing frustration for the user while simultaneously increasing his orher confidence level. This device substantially improves skills byemphasizing control of the lower body movements in order to obtain thecorrect hitting position and the proper throwing or pitching motion.This invention is also applicable in training golfers with their swing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Athletes constantly need to improve the fundamental skills of theirsport. Baseball is no exception. However, it is often difficult toexplain the proper turn technique and correct hitting position, not onlyto young players, but also to older, more experienced players. Game playis an inefficient way of improving one's skills. Moreover, without theproper training, a baseball player may never realize his or her fullpotential. In particular, there may be hitting problems associated withimproper weight distribution of which the user is unaware. Additionally,users that improperly turn while hitting a baseball tend not to hit theball with maximum power. There is also an increased chance of injuryassociated with improper batting techniques.

There exist in the art various training devices relating to baseball,golf, and other swing-reliant sports. Several patents relate to thisfield. U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,967 to Timmins discloses a support device foruse by leg amputees in maintaining balance when not wearing aprosthetic. The device comprises a base portion comprised of three legswhich form the feet for the base. The legs extend in an upwardlydirection and are affixed to a plate at their upper ends. An elongatedscrew traverses through the plate and allows the supporting member to bevertically adjustable. The supporting member that is the portion onwhich the leg amputee rests his knee may be padded for greater comfort.This patent device is not used as an aid to teach the proper turn whilehitting or aids with muscle memory.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,204 to Bryson discloses a device for teaching,learning or practicing a correct golf swing. A horizontally elongatedmember is affixed to a sliding member where the sliding member can slidealong the horizontally elongated member in the direction of the golfer'starget. The device includes a pair of thigh rests in which the golferrests his thighs during his golf swing and is extremely cumbersome andrelatively complicated. This device is not used to assist a baseballhitter with the proper turn while batting.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,055 to Richie discloses a baseball and golf hitter'straining device comprised of a base assembly, a height adjustablestanchion with spring built in, and an adjustable seat. The baseballhitter sits on the seat which automatically adjusts to the user'srotative movement through the use of a ball joint and forces the user tomaintain a proper stance. The base assembly is of a tri-footconfiguration, having two longer feet extending rearwardly and oneshorter foot extending forwardly, and must be secured to the ground.This device requires that the hitter sit on the assembly with thighssecured in order to properly use this device. Further, although theadjustable seat is used to steady the hitter so as to help the hitter toperform a proper weight shift through the execution of a swing, bothfeet need to be on the ground.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,090 to Kauffman, Jr. discloses a golf trainingdevice consisting of a platform for the golfer to stand on and anupright with a footing mounted on the platform. The upright has an upperrest overhanging the footing to provide foot clearance and upper restengages the golfer's leg to prevent swaying during a golf swing. Theupright is telescopically fitted inside a post allowing for theadjustment of the elevation of the upper arm by sliding the arm insidethe post. To fix the upper arm position, a plurality of selectable boltholes in the arms allow for a bolt to pass completely through this upperarm, forming a locking device to fix the upper arm position. This doesnot disclose aiding with muscle memory or assisting one to keep theirweight on their rear foot while hitting. Both legs of the user remain incontact with the ground.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,741 to Richie discloses a sport swingtraining device. This patent is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No.5,470,055 to Richie as described above. Essentially, this patent extendsthe previous '055 patent to include the use of device for use inpracticing a tennis serve.

The prior art discloses training devices that are bulky and expensiveand do not contemplate a baseball hitter maintaining only one foot onthe ground as a proper stance. In fact, all these devices require thatthe user have both feet on the ground as a proper stance. None of theprior art teach a training device where the user rests one knee on adevice while hitting.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.Through the use of muscle memory, users reinforce the proper maneuversnecessary to consistently hit and throw a baseball. The lower body is anessential part of batting or pitching. A user who keeps his weight backand distributed over the rear foot has better contact with the ballwhile hitting pitches that move, such as a curve ball. This is becausethe user no longer needs to concentrate on his or her lower body,thereby being able to focus concentration on other aspects of the game,such as hand-eye coordination. An additional benefit of keeping one kneeon the training device during batting practice is that it teaches theuser to be cognizant of the position that the resting knee should be inwhen hitting a baseball without the use of the training device. Anotherbenefit is that the present invention naturally places the hands in theproper hitting position while swinging, and thus benefits the user withbetter and more powerful hitting.

Accordingly, there is a need for a light-weight, simple-to-use, yethighly effective and inexpensive, portable training device which assistsbaseball players of all ages in keeping their weight on their rear footwhile hitting and throwing baseballs.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention substantially improves and solves the problemsdiscussed above. In this era of an “instant gratification” mindset,users will be extremely surprised at how fast they can see positiveresults using the present invention. Moreover, because of the reducedtime period from which users begin seeing positive results from thepresent invention, dramatic results can often be seen in less than onemonth and, at times, in as little as half an hour. A user will increasehis or her batting average and have a more enjoyable experience with thegame. The final result is a dramatically improved batter or pitcher withincreased levels of confidence and self-esteem.

The present invention includes a training apparatus for teaching asports swing comprising a main body having a bottom for placement upon asurface, a first member securable to the main body, a brace connected tothe first member, and a means of securing and unsecuring the firstmember. The position of the first member is adjustable relative to saidmain body so that the brace connected thereto may be appropriatelypositioned relative to the user. The brace has a substantially planartop surface inclined at a first angle relative to said surface. Theapparatus may be manufactured out of any strong, rigid material,including stainless steel, aluminum, hard plastic, fiberglass, and thelike. The present invention also contemplates a method of teaching asport swing comprising providing a training apparatus and positioningsaid training apparatus relative to a user's leg such that during thecourse of the sports swing the user's leg contacts the brace, thusrequiring the preferred weight distribution.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to assist bothchildren and adult players with improving batting skills by makingbetter contact with the baseball and hitting the baseball with morepower.

It is another object of the present invention to assist the user indeveloping sound pitching and throwing skills.

It is yet another object of the present invention to improve the user'sbalance while the user is hitting or throwing a baseball.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide consistencyand muscle control throughout the lower body and to allow a user todevelop a feel for the proper swing or throw through the use of musclememory.

It is another object of the present invention to teach the proper turnwhile hitting by teaching the user to distribute his or her weight onhis or her rear leg and foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention, as well as further objects and features thereof,are more clearly and fully set forth in the following description of thepreferred embodiment, which should be read with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention in use by a baseball player;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are elevation views of the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment along line 7-7 ofFIG. 4; and

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C illustrate a baseball swing using the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A proper swing must be initiated by the lower body. The most importantpart of a baseball swing is the turning of the hips, and a batter withsuperior hand-eye coordination can suffer at the plate because ofimproperly turning the hips. If a batter does not properly turn his orher hips, an otherwise fundamentally-sound swing does not help. In aproper turn, the batter's weight transfers into the ball in the hittingzone at contact.

Many players incorrectly use their shoulders to drag the hips throughthe strike zone. This, in turn, pulls everything else out of the strikezone, including the head, and this fundamental misalignment decreasesthe likelihood of contacting the ball as it moves through the strikezone. If the hitter does make contact, he or she will do so withoutcreating maximum power to drive the ball. Indeed, learning not to letthe shoulders drag the hips through the strike zone is the mostdifficult aspect of learning to hit.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention in use by a baseball player 10. The player 10 is contacting aknee 15 against the training apparatus 18 while maintaining weightdistribution on his rear hip 14 and rear foot 16. While thisillustration describes a right-handed batter, the present invention canbe used by both right and left-handed individuals, and thus either fallswithin the contemplation of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of the training device 18is composed of a main body 20 attached to two support legs 22. A firstmember 26 is secured to the main body 20 by a ball lock pin 24 thatprotrudes through two main body apertures 44 (see FIG. 3) and throughtwo member apertures 28 coaxially aligned with the main body apertures44. A brace 30 with an overlaying cover 40 is connected to the firstmember 26. Padding (not shown) is placed between the cover 40 and thebrace 30 so that contact by the player's knee (not shown) with theapparatus 18 is not uncomfortable.

While in the preferred embodiment the support legs 22 and brace 30 arepermanently attached to the main body 20 and first member 26respectively, in alternative embodiments the support legs 22 and brace30 are temporarily attached so that the apparatus 18 may be easilystored and transported. Additionally, the support legs 22 may collapsetoward and lie adjacent to the main body 20 so as to minimize spacerequired for storage. The main body 20, first member 26, support legs 22and brace 30 are preferably aluminum, but may be made from any strong,rigid material, including stainless steel, plastic, fiberglass, and thelike.

The position of the first member 26 relative to the main body 20 isadjustable and, until secured, may move freely within the main body 20so that the height of the brace 30 can be positioned according to theheight of the player's knee (not shown). The first member 26 is securedwith a ball lock pin 24, which passes through main body apertures 44 inthe main body 20 and through member apertures 28 disposed in the firstmember 26 and coaxially aligned with the main body apertures. The pin 24resists unintentional removal from the main body apertures 44 and memberapertures 28 because of a securing ball 32 (see FIG. 3) located at thedistal end of the ball lock pin 24. Moreover, while the presentinvention discloses the ball lock pin 24 to secure the position of thefirst member 26 relative to the main body 20, other adjustment meansfall within the scope of the present invention. For example, anut-and-bolt or a knob and screw assembly may secure the position of thefirst member 26 relative to the main body 20.

FIG. 3 is an assembly view of the training apparatus 18. The main body20 is a section of square aluminum tubing that receives the first member26. Two support legs 22 are connected to the main body 20. The twocoaxial main body apertures 44 are disposed opposite each other toreceive the pin 24 therethrough. The pin 24 is sized to slightly resistinsertion through the main body apertures 44 due to the securing ball32, but is insertable with application of sufficient force. Similarly,the securing ball 32 serves to resist unintentional extrusion from themain body apertures 44, which could be harmful to the player 10 (seeFIG. 1) if he were to place his weight on the apparatus 18 when thefirst member 26 is not properly secured to the main body 20.

The brace 30, which is connected to the first member 26, has asubstantially planer top surface 50, and two beveled sides 48 forguiding the leg of the player 10 to contact the cover 40 over the areaof top surface 50. Padding 42 is placed between the cover 40 and thebrace 30 so that contact with the apparatus 18 is not uncomfortable tothe player. Any form of padding 42, such as foam, rubber, leather or thelike, is permissible, although such padding 42 is preferably waterresistant.

FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 show elevations of the apparatus 18 placedupon a surface 46. The bottom 27 of the main body 20 is angled relativeto the surface 46, which allows the main body 20 to dig into the surface46 to firmly secure the training apparatus 18 and eliminate the need totie down the apparatus 18 with other elements such as spikes or stakes.In addition, the support legs 22 are also angled to “bite” into thesurface 46 and resist movement relative thereto.

The first member 26 contains a plurality of apertures 28 from which theplayer 10 (not shown) may select in order to adjust the height of thebrace 30 relative to the surface 46. The first member 26 slides freelywithin the tubular main body 20 until secured to the main body 20through the use of the ball lock pin 24. To secure the first member 26to the main body 20, a pair of corresponding member apertures 28 areselected and aligned coaxially with the main body apertures 44. The pin24 is then inserted through the main body apertures 44 and the memberapertures 28 coaxially aligned therewith. The inserted pin 24 thusrestricts any further movement of the first member 26 relative to themain body 20.

The brace 30 has a substantially planar top surface 50, and two beveledsides 48 for guiding the leg of a player to contact the cover 40 overthe top surface 50. As shown in FIG. 5, the top surface 50 of the brace30 is inclined at a first angle a relative to the surface 46. The firstangle a is preferably thirty degrees, but in any case is between fifteenand seventy-five degrees (inclusive). In an alternative embodiment ofthe invention, the first angle a is adjustable so that the player maymove the brace to the most comfortable angle.

FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the apparatus along section line 7-7 ofFIG. 4, and more specifically illustrates the brace 30, padding 42, andthe overlaying cover 40. The padding 42 contacts the top surface 50 ofthe brace 30 and is held thereon by the cover 40. While the presentinvention discloses padding 42 and a soft cover 40 generally, forms ofpadding such as foam, rubber, leather or the like are also contemplatedand fall within the scope of this invention.

While there are many aspects of a batting swing that must be mastered toproperly turn on a ball (e.g., bat position, hand alignment on the bat,foot position), the most important aspect of hitting a baseball swing isthe movement of the lower body during the swing. If a batter does nothave sound fundamentals concerning the lower body, that the batter hasmastered the other elements of batting will not matter.

To use the present invention to teach a batting swing, the height of thebrace 30 should be adjusted so that as the batter 10 turns his or herhips so that the rear leg turns into and contacts the apparatus 18 justbelow the knee at the batter's shin. If the apparatus 18 is positionedtoo low, the batter 10 will try to bend to the apparatus 18. Initialweight distribution should be about 60%/40%, with most of the weightbeing distributed over the rear foot 16. In effect, the apparatus should“catch” the batter 10 as he turns his hips through the strike zone. Thehips should “pop” through the strike zone. During the swing, thebatter's rear thigh should be substantially perpendicular with theground. The front leg should remain stiff through the swing to avoid thebatter's weight shifting too far forward, and as the hips move throughthe strike zone, the weight should shift to roll over the batter's frontankle.

As shown in FIG. 8, the training apparatus 18 properly used will providea point of reference for the lower body during the swing and at ballcontact. As shown in FIG. 8A, the batter 10 initiates the swing byturning the hips toward the ball. This “popping” of the hips causes therear knee 15 to contact the apparatus 18. The batter 10, however, hasnot yet begun to swing the bat. Illustrated in FIG. 8B, as the rear hip14 moves through the hitting zone, this movement pulls the shoulders(and thus the bat) through the hitting zone. The rear thigh remainsperpendicular to the ground and the front leg stiff throughout theswing. The apparatus 18 maintains contact with the batter's leg justbelow the rear knee 15 to ensure proper position of the lower body.Finally, as shown in FIG. 8C, the batter 10 completes his swing whilemaintaining contact with the training apparatus 18. Thus, after thelower body turn, the lower body remains in substantially the sameposition throughout the remainder of the swing.

Many types of drills have been used to convey to baseball players andhitters how to turn on the ball and get into the proper hittingposition. The present invention provides a point of reference duringthese drills to the position of the lower body during the swing and atball contact, resulting in a short, powerful, and productive swing. Thepresent invention therefore allows a batter to learn and retain themuscle memory necessary to accomplish this solid lower-body turn.

At least two drills may be used with the present invention to learn theproper turning technique, thus teaching the batter to avoid forwardmotion with the body and head, also known as “sliding” through thestrike zone. In the T Drill, the player hits a ball off a tee to allowthe player to feel where the position of the hips should be when the batcontacts the ball. The tee should be high enough to stop the batter fromdropping the bat. The batter's upper hand should be above the ball asthe bat through the strike zone, thus forcing the batter not to swingunder the ball. The player performs the drill by turning the hips towardthe ball and allowing the apparatus to contact, or “catch,” the battersrear leg. Only then does the batter swing the bat through the strikezone, keeping the upper hand higher than the ball on the tee. The twomotions should first be practiced as distinct motions, and thengradually faster. With repetition the batter's hips will pull theshoulders through the strike zone, making for a compact, powerful swing.

Another drill involves having a batter grasp the bat with both palmsdownward and holding the bat parallel to the ground and parallel to theline between home plate and the pitcher's mound. A person other than thebatter also holds the bat while the batter initiates the lower body turnof “popping” the hips through the strike zone and allowing the apparatusto “catch” the rear leg just below the knee. After the lower body turn,the bat should still be in the original position. This allows the batterto analyze his or her shoulder and head position. If the lead shoulder,rather than the hips, has initiated the swing, the head will also be outof position, and the batter will not be looking at the ball. Instead,the shoulders should remain closed, and the hips should be draggingeverything through the hitting zone.

The present invention is described above in terms of a preferredillustrative embodiment of a specifically described training apparatus,as well as alternative embodiments of the present invention. A personhaving ordinary skill in the art will recognize that alternativeconstructions of such an apparatus can be used in carrying out thepresent invention. Other aspects, features, and advantages of thepresent invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure andthe drawings, along with the appended claims.

1. A training apparatus for teaching a sports swing comprising: a mainbody having a bottom for placement upon a surface; a first membersecurable to said main body, the position of said first member beingadjustable relative to said main body; a brace connected to said firstmember, said brace having a substantially planar top surface inclined ata first angle relative to said surface when said bottom of said mainbody is positioned on said surface; and adjustment means for securingand unsecuring said first member from said main body.
 2. The trainingapparatus of claim 1 wherein said main body is tubing and said firstmember is insertable into and extendable from said main body.
 3. Thetraining apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of memberapertures disposed in said first member, each of said member aperturesbeing coaxially alignable with at least one main body aperture forreceiving said adjustment means.
 4. The training apparatus of claim 1wherein said first angle is between fifteen and seventy-five degrees(inclusive).
 5. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bracefurther comprises at least one beveled side for guiding a leg to contactsaid top surface during a sports swing.
 6. The training apparatus ofclaim 1 further comprising at least one support leg connected to saidmain body.
 7. The training apparatus of claim 6 wherein said at leastone support leg is removably attached to said main body.
 8. The trainingapparatus of claim 6 wherein said at least one support leg iscollapsible toward said main body.
 9. The training apparatus of claim 1further comprising padding overlaying said brace.
 10. The trainingapparatus of claim 9 further comprising a cover overlaying said padding.11. The training apparatus of claim 1 wherein said adjustment meanscomprise a ball lock pin; and two coaxial main body apertures disposedin said main body for receiving said ball lock pin.
 12. A method ofteaching a sport swing comprising: providing a training apparatus forteaching a sports swing comprising: a main body having a bottom forplacement upon a surface; a first member securable to said main body,the position of said first member being adjustable relative to said mainbody; a brace connected to said first member, said brace having asubstantially planar top surface inclined at a first angle relative tosaid surface when said bottom of said main body is positioned on saidsurface; and adjustment means for securing and unsecuring said firstmember from said main body; positioning said training apparatus relativeto a user's leg such that during the course of the swing said user's legwill contact said brace; and adjusting said first member to a heightwherein during the course of the swing the leg of the user will contactthe apparatus below the rear knee.
 13. The method of claim 12 furthercomprising engaging in a sports swing.